Mail-crane.



' PATENTED M-AR. 3, 190a. s. L. LUCAS.

MAIL CRANE.

.No. 880,550. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

S. L. LUCAS.

MAIL CRANE.

APPLICATION IILE'I) 00w. so, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllll n42: uanms PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n c,

SIMON L. LUCAS, OF MULBERRY, FLORIDA.

MAIL-CRANE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908.

Annlication filed October 30' 1907- $erial NO. 399347.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON L. LUCAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mulberry, in the county of Folk and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Mail-Crane, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in mail cranes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of mail cranes, and to provide a simple and comparatively ineX pensive one, designed to be normally arranged in an inoperative or out-of-the-way position to enable a mail bag to be attached to it at any time, and to prevent it from being a menace to passing trains, and also to prevent the latter from accidentally knocking the mail bag from the crane, and capable of being swung into operative position by a mail car equipped with proper operating devices to carry the mail bag into position to be en gaged by the mail bag catcher of such car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mail crane of this character, adapted, when released, after the passage of a train, of automatically swinging to its inoperative position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of a mail crane and operating mechanism, constructed in accordance with this invention.

laterally shiftable member.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The mail crane proper embodies a vertical rotary mast 1, which. is equipped with mail bag holding means, consisting of upper and lower arms 2 and 3, adapted to automatically swing upwardly and downwardly, respectively, when a mail sack 4 is disengaged from the said arms 2 and 3 by a mail bag catcher of a mail car. The upper arm 2 consists of an intermediately pivoted bar provided at one end with a weight 5, adapted, when the arm 3 is free to move, to swing the same from the horizontal position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings to the inclined position shown in dotted lines. The lower arm 3 is pivoted at its inner end to the mast and automatically swings downward from a horizontal position to the inclined position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the mail bag is carried from the mail crane by the mail bag catcher of a car.

The rotary mast is mounted in a suitable stand 6, and is provided with a reduced '1 lower portion 7, having a terminal crank 8 and extending through a sectional sleeve 9. The sleeve 9 which is composed of two semicylindrical sections, is stationary, the sections being provided with registering ears 10,"

which are secured together by suitable fastening devices. The upper end of the sleeve is arranged in a sectional collar 11, and is provided with an annular bearing flange 12, ar-

ranged upon the collar and provided in its upper face with an annular groove 13. The sectional collar 1 1 is provided with outwardly projecting upper and lower flanges, which form an intervening annular recess to fit the top of the stand. The groove 13 of the flange 12 receives an annular series of anti-frictionballs 14, which support the rotary mast, and the latter is provided in the shoulder, formed by the reduction of its lower portions with an annular groove 15, which corresponds with the groove 13 and cooperates with the same to form a ball race.

vThe sleeve or casing 9 is provided at its 7 lower endwith an annular flange 16, which is secured upon a sectional bearing plate 17 and the lower end of the sleeve andthe inner its arms extending longitudinally of the track,

, to its operative position with its arms extendbelow its intermediate portion.

pierced by the inner end of the rod 21.

ing inthe direction of the track, so that there will be no liability of thezmail bag-not being brought around in time to be engagedbythe mail bag catcher of a mail car.

The crank 8 is connected by a link 20 with the outer end of a slidable rod 21, disposed transversely of the track and extending through an o ening 22 of the adjacent rail. The interme iate portion ofthe rod 21 is guidedin the. opening 22, and the outer portion of the rod is bent downwardly at an angletoearrange its outer portion in a plane The inner portion of the rod is :bent upwardly to arrange it in a plane above theintermediate portion. The inneriportion of the slidable rodx extends through a fixed guiding member 23, and the inner end of the rod is secured by nuts 24, or othe-rsuitable fastening devices, to a laterally shiftable member 25. The

fixedsguiding member 23 preferably consists of-a-short rail curved, as shown, and the laterally shiftable member also preferably consists of acurved rail, the web of which is The inner'end of the rod 21 is threadedfor-the reception of the nuts 24.

The fixed guiding member and the laterally shiftable member have their ends arranged within casings 26, which are provided with inclined top walls or portions, as clearly illustrated-in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and the ends 27 and 28 of the'rails or members 23 and "25 arecorrespondingly beveled. The ends of the laterally'shiftable member are also cut away at their inner sides to enable the later- :ally shiftable member tomove sufliciently in the casings 26 to rotate the mail crane one quarter of a revolution. These rails 23 and 25 have their upper faces located about two and a half or three inches above the treads of the rails of the track, so that an operating wheel 29 maybe located at a sufiicient elevation to prevent it from striking the lead rails of switches, cross-overs and the like. The beveling of the ends of the rails 23 and 25 and the inclined portions of the end casings 26 prevent any of the gear or draft rigging of 'a carfrom catching on the device. 5

The fixed guiding member is curved slightly and resents an inner concaveface to the latera ly shiftable member, which is aving recesses 37 in their inner faces. rods 35 pass through perforations 38-ofithe curved in the opposite direction, its central portion normally abutting against a fixed guide member 30, consisting of a rail having beveled ends. The fixed guard or guide 30 is curved slightly, and its end portions diverge from the end portions of the laterally shiftable member, forming flaring entrances to the operating mechanism to enable the same to be readily engaged by the operating Wheel 29.

The operating wheel 29, which is provided with an oppositely beveled periphery, is designed to be mounted on the end axle at each end ofa mail car, and it is composed of sections detachably secured to the axle 31 at the center thereof by means of bolts 32, or other suitable fastening devices. Thesections of the operating wheel are .provided with laterally extending hub portions 33, having registering perforations through which the bolts 32 pass. The sectional construction of the operating wheel enables the same to be readily detached from a mail car should the same become injured and sent as a dead car to the shops, or any other point. The removal of the operating wheels at such time will prevent the mail car from affecting the position of the mail cranes along the track over which such car travels.

When the laterally shiftable member is moved outwardly from the fixed guard member 30, the shaft of the mail crane is rotated one fourth of a revolution, and the arms 2 and 3 are swung from a positionin parallelism with the track, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings to a position transversely of the track, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The mail crane is locked in this latter position by means of a pair of catches 34, mounted on the outer ends of the transverse rods 35and rovided with beveled end faces 36 zlt rlid 1e fixed guiding member 23, and they extend through the web of the laterally shiftable member and aresecured to the same by means ofnuts 39, located at opposite sides of the laterally shiftable member, as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The inner end portions of the rods 35 extend through perforations 40 of the web of theguard rail or member 30, and are provided with suitable heads 41 which are engaged by coiled springs 42. By passing the rods 35 through the bars or members 23, 25- and 30, they assist in guiding the laterally shiftable guard or member in. its outward and inward movements. The springs 42 are interposed between the guard member 30- and the heads 41, and the rods 35 also receivecoiled. springs 43, which are interposed between the fixed guiding member 23 and the laterally shiftable member. 'VVhen the laterally shiftable member is moved outwardly, the coiled springs are compressed, and they operate to return the laterally shiftable member to its initial position. when the same is free to move.

The outward movement of the laterally shiftable member carries the catches of the member 34 beneath a pair of foot operated latch levers 44, fulcrumed at an intermediate point in suitable brackets 45, and adapted to engage the shoulders, formed by the recesses 37 of the catches. The latch levers are thrown into the recesses by coiled springs 46, located beneath foot plates 47. The foot plates 47 are arranged at the inner adj acent ends of the latch levers, Which extend longitudinally of the track, and the outer ends of the latch levers engage the catches. After a train has passed, the arms of the latch levers are depressed by the feet of a person, and the switch stand and the laterally shiftable member are automatically returned to their initial position by the said coiled springs.

As the arms of the mail crane are normally arranged out of the way of passing trains, a mail bag may be placed on the mail crane at any time without danger of its being accidentally knocked off and cut to pieces by a passing train. Also by this normal arrangement of the mail bag, there is no danger of the passengers or the train crew being injured by coming in contact With the mail bag supporting arms. As each end of a mail car is equipped with an operating wheel, the car may be turned end for end without aflecting the operation of the mail crane.

The slidable rod or bar 21 preferably passes through a guide 48, located at a point between the fixed guide member 23 and the adjacent rail, and consisting of a horizontal plate and an upwardly projecting flange or lug, provided with a guide opening to receive the rod.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a rotary mail crane provided with means for holding a mail bag, a laterally shiftable member, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane, and means carried by a train for actuating the laterally shiftable member to positively rotate the mail crane to turn the same to its operative position.

2'. The combination of a rotary mail crane provided with means for holding a mail bag, a laterally shiftable member, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail. crane, means carried by a train for actuating the laterally shiftable member to positively rotate the mail crane to turn the same to its operative position, and means for automatically looking the mail crane in its operative position.

3. The combination of a rotary mail. crane provided with means for holding a mail bag, a laterally shiftable member, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane, means carried by a train for actuating the laterally shiftable member to positively rotate the mail crane to turn the same to its operative position, means for automatically locking the mail crane in its operative position, and manually operable means for releasing the mail crane.

4. The combination of a rotary mail crane provided with means for holding a mail bag, a laterally shiftable member, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane, means carried by the train for actuating the laterally shiftable member to positively rotate the mail crane to turn the same to its operative position, means for automatically locking the mail crane in its operative position, manually operable means for releasing the mail crane, and means for automatically turning the mail crane to an inoperative position.

5. The combination of a rotary mail crane having a crank element, a laterally shiftable member, a slidable rod, means for connnecting the rod with the crank element, and means carried by a train for positively actuating the laterally shiftable member.

6. The combination of a rotary mail crane having a crank element, a laterally shiftable member, a slidable rod, means for connecting the rod With the crank element, means carried by a train for positively actuating the laterally shiftable member, a catch carried by the laterally shiftable member, a latch lever arranged in the path of the catch and adapted to be manually operated to release the same, and means for automatically returning the crane to its initial position when the same is released.

7. The combination of a rotary mail crane, a laterally shiftable member, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the rotary mail crane, means carried by a train for actuating the laterally shiftable member to carry the mail crane from an inoperative to an operative position, springs for moving the laterally shiftable member and the mail crane in the opposite direction, means for locking the mail crane in its operative position, and means for releasing the mail crane to enable the same to return automatically to an inoperative position.

8. The combination of a rotary mail crane, a shiftable member, means for communicating motion from the shiftable member to the mail crane for turning the same from an inoperative to an operative position, and an operating Wheel carried by a train and arranged to engage the shiftable member for positively operating the mail crane.

9. The combination of a rotary mail crane, 'a laterally shiftable member extending longitudinally of a track and located between the rails thereof, a fixed guard member arranged contiguous to the laterally shiftable member, said members having diverging portions, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane, and. a wheel carried by a train and arranged to pass between the said members for actuating the mail crane.

10. The combination of a rotary mail crane, a laterally shiftable member, a fixed guard member located at one side of the shiftable member, a fixed guide member located at the opposite side of the laterally shiftable member, guide rods piercing the said members and connected with the laterally shiftable member, catches mounted on the guide rods, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane for turning the same from an inoperative to an operative position, and means arranged in the path of the catches for locking the mail crane in an operative position.

11. The combination of a rotary mail crane, a laterally shiftable member, a fixed guard member located at one side of the shiftable member, a fixed guide member located at the opposite side of the laterally shiftable member, guide rods piercing the said members and connected with the laterally shiitable member, catches mounted on the guide rods, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane for turning the same from an inoperative to an operative position, means arranged in the path of the latches for locking the mail crane in an operative position, and coiled springs disposed on the rods for returning the mail crane to its inoperative position.

12. The combination of a rotary mail crane, a laterally shiftable member, a fixed guard member located at one side of the shiftable member, a fixed guide member located at the opposite side of the laterally shit'table member, guide rods piercing the said members and connected with the laterally shiftable member, catches mounted on the guide rods, means for communicating motion from the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane for turning the same from an inoperative to an operative position, intermediately pivoted spring actuated foot levers arranged in the path of the catches for locking the mail crane in its operative position, and coiled springs disposed on the rods for returning the mail crane to its inoperative position.

13. The combination of a rotary mail 14. The combination of a rotary mail crane, a laterally shiftable member curved longitudinally, a fixed. guide member curved longitudinally and. having its terminals arranged adjacent to the ends of the laterally shiftable member, a fixed guard member curved longitudinally and having its intermediate portion contiguous to the laterally shii'table member and its terminal portions diverging therefrom, said members having beveled ends, casings receiving the ends of the guide member and the laterally shiftable member, means movable through the guide member for guiding the laterally shiftable member, and means for communicating motion from. the laterally shiftable member to the mail crane.

15. The combination of a mast having a reduced lower portion and provided at the upper end of the latter with a shoulder, a stand, a sectional sleeve receiving the reduced lower portion. of the mast and provided with upper and lower horizontal ii an ges, antifriction devices interposed between the shoulder of the mast and the upper fiange of the sleeve, a lower bearing plate receiving the bottom flange of the sleeve and supporting the latter, anti-friction devices located at the lower bearing plate and interposed between.

the same and the sleeve and forming a bear-- ing for the reduced portion of the mast, bagholding means carried by the mast, and mechanism for partially rotating the mast.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SIMON L. LUCAS.

Witnesses:

Vioron C. BooKER, W. PARKS READ. 

